One
of the most celebrated first-person shooter
game series is coming to an end -- but not without
a bang. Giveaways, midnight release parties and other
special events are scheduled for the direct prequel to
the Halo trilogy;
Halo:
Reach.

The
yet-to-be-released game is already earning rave reviews and will be
available in stores on Tuesday, according
to Joystiq and Bungie.net.

The
science fiction video game franchise has been a run-away success
for Microsoft
Xbox and Xbox 360. The game, created by Bungie, began with
the release of Halo:
Combat Evolved
in 2001 and was followed by Halo
2
and Halo
3.

The
prequel takes place in 2552, after the fall of the
human-colonized planet Reach. The game follows the six special
ops Spartans of the Noble Team as they begin their fight against
the Covenant, the alien militant alliance who have targeted the
humans.

Highly focused and detailed, Reach offers
more autonomy in the game and provides new maps and visuals like
Forge World, which allows players to build a world they
envision; and weapons like the long-range Designated Marksman Rifle
which takes down enemies with one shot.

In Reach instead
of playing Master Chief, Noble Team observer, the
player can choose to step into the role of a Noble Team
member. When the Campaign ends the user can remain
"in character" throughout all of the game modes.

The
game designers have upped the ante for multiplayers as well
with Firefight, Rocketfight and Gruntocalypse. Gamers fight
through battles and are rewarded with mini-events.

Reach will
be made available in Standard, Limited and Legendary Editions. The
standard version is $59.99, the limited edition is $79.99
and the legendary edition is $149.99

Fans
can receive a token to unlock a Spartan Recon Helmet, by picking up
the game on launch day. More
information can be found here.

“So far we have not seen a single Android device that does not infringe on our patents." -- Microsoft General Counsel Brad Smith